"What happened after the war of the gods, mother?" Asked the little girl. Her eyelids were already drooping, but she lifts them with force instantly when they fall.
"Right, you always miss this part, Calla." The mother said, chuckling gently as she gazes lovingly to the daughter upon her arms. "My sleepy little angel."
The girl only yawns, yet her face is full of attention and expectation for the story's continuation.
"Well, after the war caused by Eshu's wrath, none of them survived, except for one."
For a few seconds, silence reigned the room.
The girl's eyes gradually widened. "Khloris!" She gasped and smiled, her drowsiness all but gone.
"Yes, Khloris, goddess of the flowers, savior of the Flos people. She was oblivious to the happenings outside her private gardens in heaven. Khloris wondered why none of her brothers nor sisters visited her heavenly gardens. And when she decided to go out, she found that none of her dear siblings were left, along with the aether they produced. The goddess sorrowed and wept for months that the lake below heaven overflowed with tears."
"What about the people, mother?"
"As the aether slowyly dissipated, more and more people began to die. Later on, Khloris heard their prayers and took pity upon the poor humans. She had shared a part of her heart to six individuals, one from every region, who would later on become her descendants and provide life force for Flos."
***
That dream again. The continuation of the previous dream had been appearing to me at some nights that I wondered if something about it had any relevance.
"It is time for you to wake up, young lady."
I grunt as brightness entered the room. "Five more minutes." I said, pulling the blanket to cover my eyes. It was still too early for Anette to wake me up.
"Oh no, that is not possible, young lady." She pulls the blanket away from me but I don't budge an inch. My eyelids were heavy as hell. "You are to go to the royal palace today, and you must not forget to meet your father before you go."
Hearing that, I immediately opened my eyes and sat up. Why didn't she say that earlier? I'm gonna be late! I was supposed to go there early in the morning.
"We've prepared a bath for you, young lady." Said an unfamiliar voice.
I turned to my right and saw that there were five maids lined up with their hands put together behind them. Just like last time, they magically appear whenever they're told that I'm going out. I'd tried my best to reject their offer but they were as persistent as a horde of mosquitoes.
I sighed before speaking. "Look, even if I have to go to some imperial castle or wherever in Helianthus that place is, pampering me up would be no use. I'm gonna cover myself in bandages anyways."
"That does not matter, young lady. Even if you wrap yourself up, we have to make sure that you are as beautiful as a rose in bloom. Besides, the fragrance of our oils will push through those bandages and entice every nobleboy you encounter there. They will forget that you had ever covered your face!"
A wave of giggles radiated from the overexcited maids. I turned to Anette and I saw that as much as she wanted to keep a straight face, I could feel the same enthusiasm.
I pressed my temple, calming myself. "Fine." Gods, there is no stopping them.
As much as I willed myself not to feel uncomfortable from all the hands touching my skin, I still felt odd. I distracted myself by keenly observing the bottles of concoctions that were supposed to make my skin and hair smell good— and it might have worked. Oh well, I'll give them this. It has been years since they've dressed up their young lady.
After the seemingly long bath, they worked together to help me put on a beautiful dress of light blue — just like my eyes. The skirt fell above my knees while the bodice was filled with white laces. The sleeves ran through my wrist with a ruffle on the cuffs.
It may be pretty but the dress was rather tight on the waist.
"It will make your waistline look more slim, young lady." Sera, the freckled maid, said.
Is it not slim enough already?
"This might hurt a little, young lady." Warned Vivian, the redhead maid who was braiding my hair.
"Guess it takes a little bit of pain to look beautiful, huh- ow!" I squirmed as she suddenly tightened and pulled some strands of hair. The maids laughed.
Okay, that did not just "hurt a little". But the atmosphere was lively and it brought comfort to my heart.
I was sitting in front of the dresser framed with gold as the other maids wrapped the bandages around me.
"All done." They announced in chorus.
I stood and approached the large mirror. True enough, my hair looked much more soft and radiant. The braids Vivian did on me did not fail their part as well. I lifted a gaze to my face down to my foot. I took in the bandaged girl in front of me. As I stared at her, I felt a sudden pang on my chest. What was that? No, whatever that was, I'm definitely not sad about my appearance — an appearance that I don't fully own.
I blinked away from the mirror, the unpleasant feeling on my chest was becoming more and more evident. I felt pathetic. When I turned to the maids, I saw a flash of sadness on their eyes. Do they pity me?
"Thanks everyone." I beamed the brightest smile I could muster up.
"It is our pleasure, young lady." They bowed to me at the same time.
Anette stepped forward and placed the teleportation shard on my hand. "You look dashing, young lady."
I gave her a grin in return.
"Well then, I shall walk you to the duke's office."
***
The room where the duke of the East worked had golden roses painted on every wall. The walls were painted with different hues of red. A jeweled chandelier that hung on silver metal brought brightness upon the blood-colored room.
I stood in front of the wooden table where my father sat with his elbows placed on top of it.
"You called, father?"
He cleared his throat before speaking. Lines drew on his face but he did not look much older than his age.
"Yes, I heard you were going to the palace. I want to give you something."
The duke took something from a drawer and placed a small box on the table, he pushed it towards me. Is this an accessory box?
"This belonged to your mother."
I felt my eyebrows shot up in an instant. As I reached for the box, my heart slowly rang louder and louder. When I opened it, I found a simple golden necklace. The pendant, however, looked every bit extravagant — gold formed into the shape of a rose with red gems serving as the petals.
"I want you to wear it. That necklace symbolizes that you are my blood and heir."
But I'm not. I'm not your daughter. I'm not anyone. The real person inside this body is from another world.
I closed my eyes for a second. "I can't take this... father." Then I placed the box back to the table.
The duke's eyebrows met.
"Why not?"
"I can't accept such... such a precious necklace."
The duke sighed. He said nothing and stood. Then he walked around the table and stopped beside me. The duke took the necklace from the box and held it up to the sunlight that had escaped from the windows, causing it to shine even brightly.
As he stared at the necklace, I could not help but see the longing and sadness on his face. He probably remembered its owner. Could it be that the duke has not yet moved on from his wife's death?
He turned to me and said, "I want my daughter to have it."
The man looked so eager, I had no choice but to nod. He showed me a relieved smile as he unlocked the necklace and gestured me to turn around.
The necklace felt cold when it touched my neck. A wave of unindentified feelings rushed through me as I touched the pendant.
"Thank you, father." I bowed in front of him as a sign of gratitude.
I felt a hand land on my shoulder. Then the duke walked back to his table and went back to work.
The moment I walked out of the room, I finally recognized the feelings that swelled inside me. I was happy.